DeMarcus Cousins is extending his game to every area of the floor, and to him that mean eliminating one singular position.
The hulking big man is getting buckets from everywhere on the floor, including from the three-point line.
In four exhibition games, he’s shot 1-for-10 from 3-point range, and he’s done that with the encouragement of Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl.
Cousins no longer sees himself as a center, via the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Jones:
“I don’t really consider myself a center,” Cousins said. “I’m just a basketball player. There’s so much I can do on the floor. People get stuck on the word ‘center,’ ‘big man’ and (are) kind of ignorant to the situation. I can’t really worry about that. I just go out there and do my job.”
And like anyone else, when there are changes to the job, there is an adjustment.
“It’s weird kind of floating out there,” Cousins said. “It’s a different thing, but I know it’s going to help the team, too. It’s just something I’ve got to adjust to and get used to.”
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“I do have those skills but it’s still an adjustment,” Cousins said. “This isn’t just pickup at the park, it’s an adjustment.”
Last year, Cousins took 220 shots from 15-19 feet, making 38.2 percent of them, per NBA.com. It can be a viable offensive option for the big-man, but he can’t fall in love with.
He’s Boogie Cousins, not Dirk Nowitzki.